Ethiopia - Day 9

I've been putting off writing about our last day.  I'm sure there's some psychological reasons behind that...but somehow receiving our adoption decree this week has given me the push I needed to finish our trip on here. 

January 7th...Christmas in Ethiopia.  (Melkam Genna is what they call it.)  The morning prayers start at midnight and people spend the entire night in church celebrating the birth of Christ.  Simply amazing!

Another couple from our agency was flying in that morning (yay!) so we had a leisurely breakfast and packed up our room while we waited for them to arrive.  We wanted to get something special for the kids and Steve noticed tons of people buying cakes from the cafe downstairs so he picked up a couple to bring with us.  (Sorry kids, no goat...) Once Becca and Nick arrived we headed off to the care center.  There was a Christmas celebration going on when we got there and all the kids had beautiful traditional clothes on and were in the midst of drinking orange Fanta and eating cake (oh well, we tried!).  We hung out for awhile and saw the kids having their lunch...they definitely do not go hungry, most of them ate more than I could have!  After a couple hours Mekdes was getting sleepy so I reluctantly went and laid her down in her crib for the last time for who knows how long.  Miraculously enough, I didn't break down.  I'm not saying there weren't tears welling, but I was able to hold them back.  (Those who know what an emotional wimp I am will be very impressed!)  I think it was partly that I loved witnessing the new family meet their amazing 8(?) year old daughter for the first time and that distracted me from over-thinking things...and partly because during our time there I was able to see how much Mekdes loves her nannies and how well they take care of her.  It's no substitute for a family, but for the time being she's happy and that makes the time away bearable.

After leaving the care center, we forced the utterly exhausted Becca and Nick to come to lunch with us.  (They were troopers though!)  We went to Sishu for really good burgers and fresh cut fries and an amazing mocha.  (Starbucks will never taste the same after this trip!) It's in kind of a sketchy neighborhood, but once you go through the gate it's a whole different world.  It's in a big house with kid's play equipment downstairs.  Very relaxing environment and great food...definitely recommend!  We drove back the hotel and dropped off our new friends.  Side note:  Remember all those goats that were killed for Christmas this morning?  Now their skins were piled up on every corner to be sold for leather.  Lovely.

When we were in Lalibela we met some nice people who had recently moved to Addis for work.  They were generous enough to invite us over for Christmas dinner at their house.  It was the perfect ending to our trip.  Their house is a gem in the midst of a big city...beautiful gardens, peaceful and comfortable.  We sat outside and chatted and bbq'd (gourmet bbq, mind you...they were amazing cooks).  Then they brought us to the airport for our evening flight.  I can't thank them enough, it was a perfect transition from our crazy week to our flight home.

The flight home...ugh.  I'm trying to block out of my mind that we'll need to do it again with our baby.  We'll get through it, right?  And it'll be soooo worth it once she's finally home with us...our family of 5.

 Some of the kids at the care center in their Christmas finest.

Ethiopia - Day 8

We went to visit munchkin first thing today.  When we got there she was napping, so we just sat silently for a couple minutes and she just magically woke up somehow.  (Okay, maybe not the whole truth, but you guys won't tell the nannies on us, right?!)  How could we miss a day seeing these beautiful eyes though?

After our time at the care center, we went to a school in Kechene (just outside Addis) to meet a little girl we sponsor through Children's Hope Chest.  We went with 3 other families (one of which I went to high school with!) and it was an amazing experience.  The kids were so excited to see us and sang us a few songs in Amharic and in English.  Then we were able to share all the sponsor letters with them.  The picture below is me showing the girl we sponsor our pictures and letter we brought for her.  I believe all the kids at this particular school are now sponsored, but there are a ton more and Children's Hope Chest is a wonderful organization...as is Compassion.  If you don't already, think/pray about sponsoring a child...it's just one way we can help keep families together.

After leaving the school, one of the couples we were with wanted to buy a goat for their care center.  A little background info here...  In Ethiopia Christians fast meat and dairy for 30 days prior to Christmas.  Basically a vegan diet.  So, the night before Christmas (today) they all buy a goat or sheep to slaughter on Christmas morning and break the fast.  So, we pulled over to one of the many herds of goats on the side of the road, he got out and negotiated a price, they tied up the goats legs,  tossed him on the top of the van and off we went.  I'm not going to lie...it bothered me.  The poor thing was banging away on the top of the van and all I could think about was how to secretly set him free once we got to the care center!  I know it's the way of life there, and I definitely eat more than my far share of meat...but somehow it's a lot easier when it's headless, furless and wrapped neatly in plastic in the grocery store. 

Once the goat was delivered we went out to dinner with the group to MK's.  Definitely the best pizza we had in Addis...wood fire oven!  It's on Bole in the Edna shopping area, across from the Grand Guesthouse.  A couple locals told us the Greek restaurant next door is amazing as well, but we never got a chance to try it.

Ethiopia - Day 7

The couple of you that have read my blog from the beginning of this journey may remember me posting about the Hamlin Fistula hospital awhile back. If not, watch "A Walk to Beautiful", it's an amazing documentary about it. It's on PBS often, or you can get it at the library. Fistula is the result of an extremely long labor (sometimes 4 or 5 days!) which puts huge stress on the body and results in a small hole in the bladder. The result is constant urine leaking and the woman being ostracized from her village. Those that are lucky enough to hear about this hospital can come and have surgery free of charge. (That's the short version of the story...) We went to visit the Addis hospital today and it is an amazing place. Like a tropical oasis in the midst of a big city. The women are also taught to sew or make jewelry and you can buy the stuff they've made and the profits go completely to the specific woman who made it. I'd highly recommend taking a tour if you have some free time. I emailed them ahead of time to set up the time, but you can also just call once you're in country. On our next trip I'm hoping we can have lunch at Juniper Cafe. The women who aren't able to be cured can live on this beautiful farm in Desta Mender (just outside of Addis) and they run the cafe which serves food from their garden. It's open on weekends, no reservation needed...or you can go during the week if you let them know ahead if time.

For lunch we ate at Makush (on Bole above Ethio Supermarket). It's Italian and the food was decent (the spaghetti with veggies looked great, my Gorgonzola sauce was just okay). The food isn't the real draw of this place though...it is also an art gallery. All of the best Ethiopian artists hang their art all throughout the restaurant. Some amazing stuff...unfortunately our budget wasn't big enough to buy any of it!

After lunch we headed to Churchill (at post office road) for some shopping. We tried our hand at haggling (not sure how successful we were, but I'm going to pretend we got good deals) and got a couple traditional dresses for baby girl, a ball and drum for the boys, and a framed cross and stone nativity set for ourselves. Then we went to Tomoca and bought a ton (almost literally!) of fresh roasted coffee. It smells amazing! I can't wait to see if it tastes as good as it did there... Our final stop was a jewelry store to get a silver Ethiopian cross necklace to give baby girl when she gets older.

For dinner we went to Habesha 2000 for some Ethiopian food and a show of traditional dancing. It was fun to see! Most of the dancing looks like some kind of chicken dance with lots of shoulder movement...pretty entertaining stuff. The food was a buffet...was good, but we had no idea what anything was! (We did see others ordering from the menu later, that's probably a better option.) Steve tried the tej (honey wine), served in a glass bulb. Too sour for me, but he liked it. I don't think you need a reservation, but when we told our driver that's where we wanted to go, he called and made one for us. Show starts warming up at 7:30ish every night, so arrive about that time. Definitely a must do!

Ethiopia - Day 6

We "woke" up this morning and got ready for our flight back to Addis. I use the parenthesis because neither of us really slept at all. The lamb tibs didn't agree with Steve, who ended up getting what we like to refer as "the squirts". The walls in our hotel were extremely thin, so every 30 minutes (on the dot) he was running down to the lobby restroom so as not to wake up our entire floor. Thankfully all was back to normal by morning! ;) I washed my hair in the sink (who would have thought to ask what hours they turn on the hot water?!), then we were off to the airport.

We had made arrangements to go to the care center in the afternoon that day, so we thought we'd go to the national museum in the mean time. Now would be a good time to talk about one of the most frustrating, annoying and expensive aspects of our trip. We need to hire a driver to go absolutely anywhere...to dinner, to the store, to the coffee shop, to the museum...everywhere. There is absolutely nothing within walking distance of our hotel (which is really my only complaint about our hotel). Everything we do has to be planned in advance...the driver meets us at our hotel, takes us where we need to go, waits for us, then takes us back. The drivers are wonderful, there's 2 private ones we've been using as well as the hotel drivers and they all speak English and have taught us a ton about the city...it's just a pain to coordinate constantly. Anyway, our trip to the museum was a last minute decision so we opted just to use the hotel drivers. 30 minutes later we were still waiting for a driver and by then decided we no longer had time to go...grrr. Being a creationist, not getting to see Lucy's remains isn't a big deal...it's the feeling if being trapped in our hotel that bugged me.

Anyway, we visited our little cutie in the afternoon. I think it was the first time we drove there and I didn't feel the least bit car sick! Maybe I'm getting used to the driving here? (Picture New York City with no traffic lights, no stop signs, no side walks, just as many cars and people, and add in a bunch of sheep, dogs and bulls.)

We had a great dinner at Sangam...Ethiopia has good Indian!

Ethiopia - Day 5 (pic)

Ethiopia - Day 5

This morning we woke up early (4:30 AM) to catch a flight to Lalibela. Not that it matters, because we seem to be awake by that time anyway! I'm sure most of you have never heard of Lalibela (and apparently neither has my spell check) but I'm going to insist you go add it to your "places to see before I die" list...right now. The 30 minute drive from the airport to town is worth the trip in and of itself. Amazing panoramic views the entire way! (Just don't forget to take Dramamine beforehand like I did...)

The city itself is very quaint with cobblestone roads and thatched roof huts. When tourism began about 10 years ago many hotels and souvenir tin stands popped up all along the road as well. Definitely detracts from the ambiance...but the town itself is not why people come to Lalibela.

Lalibela is considered the Jerusalem of Ethiopia. It is said that in the 12th or 13th century, King Lalibela was poisoned by his brother and while in heaven he was shown a city of rock-hewn churches and instructed to return to earth and build what he had seen, a new Jerusalem. There are 11 churches, each carved from a single rock from the ground down and connected by underground tunnels. Scholars say it would have taken 40,000 men to build these intricately carved buildings, while locals believe angels took over work during nights to help build these at a miraculous speed. Whatever the reality, they are something that must be seen in person to truly experience.

Since we are here during the Christmas season (Jan 7th in Ethiopia) there were thousands of Orthodox pilgrims there from all over the country. They camp out all around the grounds, attending services at the churches every morning. It was amazing to see these little old ladies - barefoot - hobbling up and down these extremely steep steps, along narrow ledges and through tiny tunnels.

In the morning we were touring some of the churches during their services, which were both inside and outside the buildings. The churches were so full we had to walk on tip toes in order not to step on any toes! It was amazing to observe and I'm so glad we were able to witness a lot of their celebrations...though I did feel a bit like an intruder. I could go on and on about the churches and all the amazing things we saw, but it really wouldn't be interesting without seeing it. So, I'll save that for those of you that are "lucky" enough to see a slide show of our trip. ;) Below is a picture of the top of Bet Giyorgis. I can only attach one picture here, so I'll do the side view in a different one.

After finishing our tour, we went to dinner at Holy Land...one of the local restaurants near our hotel and watched the gorgeous sunset.

Ethiopia - Day 4

Monday = court day. The day we came here for. The day we go before the Ethiopian judge and say we want to be the parents of this amazing little girl.

We arrived at court at about 9:15. The court is in a completely non-discript building. I don't even recall seeing a name on it...and had it not been for the security guards out front I wouldn't have even know it was an office building. We went up the elevator and into a hallway flanked with people...and then into the adoption court waiting room. All the seats were taken, so we just stood by the window. For an agonizing 45 minutes. I only noticed 2 birth mothers there (they go to court too...before the adoptive parents) and my heart went out to them as I looked around the room at all the laughing and chattering in many different languages. The "silence please" signs were pretty ineffective.

Finally our orphanage was called and we sat in front of the judge. She is a strikingly beautiful, very young Ethiopian woman. She was in the US for training over the summer and came to our agency's annual picnic. So, I had seen her before...although I didn't dare talk to her at the picnic for fear of making a bad impression. ;) She asked us a bunch (way more than I though) of yes questions...had we met our child, did our other children know about her, do we understand that adoption is final in Ethiopia, and about 5 or 6 others. Then she finally said, "Everything is here. She is yours." Steve and I were both just stunned. Other friends have been passing the first time recently, so we were optimistic...but to actually hear those words was an amazing feeling!

When we got outside the building Tesfa, the agency rep that came with us, asked if we had requested a birth parent meeting. I said yes, but that on the first day here another rep had told us it wouldn't happen until we came back for Embassy. "She is waiting at the care center now for you." I think I asked her to repeat herself like 3 times just to make sure I heard her right! Tesfa is this tiny, 80 lb. thing and extremely soft spoken. (Seriously, I sound like a drunken Scotsman next to her!) Apparently another birth mom came down for court and they were able to make the 2 day journey together. It was a very, very quiet drive to the care center...both of us too anxious to talk. We pulled in and there she was sitting in a chair in the shade, waiting for us. The interpreter came over and just like that it began. The one time we'd ever have to learn whatever we could about our daughter's birth family...no pressure! We all had tears in our eyes, but somehow managed to get through the questions we could think of at the time. (I, of course, have a bazillion more now...) We gave her the photo book filled with all the pictures we have of Mekdes as well as some of our family. She flipped through it with the interpreter, touching each picture. In the back I had put one loose photo that I'd gotten after the book was printed, she took it out and just held it to her heart. It was obvious how much she loved her and what a tough choice this was. We took some pictures of all of us...and were a little surprised when she took out her cell phone and asked to take some as well. (Everyone has a cell phone in Ethiopia!) After that we went to the office to give her some time alone with Mekdes...then we said goodbye with hugs and tears. I'm not sure if Ethiopians hug much...but it just seemed appropriate. Our little girl will always know about the wonderful woman that gave birth to her...

Ethiopia - Day 3 (cont.)

Here's a picture of the gorge...though it truly doesn't do it justice at all!

Pressed send too soon last post! For dinner that night we went to a place called Family Restaurant that our driver touted as the best food in Addis. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but it wasn't bad. It was quite possibly the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life though, so I may go back just for that reason! The food portions were huge and we both only ate about half our meal. When the server came to take our plates he was very distressed that we hadn't eaten enough and brought the menu back so we could chose a different meal. We insisted we liked them, we were just full...but he was clearly upset. I asked for a take out box and we ordered an ice cream sundae (which was delish!) just to make him feel better! (If you go there order a burger, that's what everyone else seemed to be ordering...)

Ethiopia - Day 3

On our third day we decided to hire a driver to take us out of the city and see some of the country side. We headed north about 2 hours and on the way passed through absolutely gorgeous landscape (some of which reminded us quite a bit of home...huge farmlands with amazing mountains in the background) and many villages. One thing I learned along the way is that Ethiopia is not the place you want to live if you're a donkey! If I could figure out how to attach a picture on my iPad, you'd see about 400 lbs of hay (or teff, probably) with this teeny tiny, very unhappy looking animal underneath! Just the way it's done here though...everyone in the country works extremely hard, not just the animals.

Our driver was awesome though...very informative and honest, easy to talk to. Funny story though, he put on what I'm quite sure is his "American customers" soundtrack...which consisted of lots of Beyonce and then some of the worst rap songs I've ever heard in my life. Steve finally asked him if he liked that music and convinced him just to play whatever Amharic music he would normally listen to if we weren't there...which was much better!

Our first stop offered some breathtaking views of the Blue Nile Gorge. Think the Grand Canyon in the middle of some remote village...it was truly amazing to see. Ahhh...soooo wish I could figure out how to post pics...though I'm not sure my pictures even do it justice. We hiked down a little ways to get better views and came back up through a bee farm (bunch of yellow boxes) and came upon a huge herd(?) of baboons! There were probably about 50 of them and tons of teeny, tiny little babies. I was assured they were scared of us and it was fine to get a little closer for a better picture...but did take note that Steve, our driver, and the 2 boys that were guiding us all stayed much further back! I could have stayed and watched them all day, but it was time to move on...

Next we went to Debre Libanos monastery, one of the largest and most important in Ethiopia. The founding priest lived in a cave in the surrounding cliff and was said to have stood and prayed for 20 years straight when his right leg rotted and fell off. He's always shown with just one leg. There are some special services going on during this Christmas week and people came from all over the country and are just camped out on the grounds. There was also a funeral going on while we were there...definitely nothing like any funeral I've been to back home! The coffin is carried in and set down and all the mourners surrounded it jumping and chanting/moaning and dancing. It was really amazing to witness. I wanted to take pics, but didn't want to become that totally disrespectful tourist-type. (though I did get reprimanded for almost taking pics in the museum...guess I missed the monk telling us that was a no-no during the tour!)

Our final stop was a little restaurant with more amazing views of the gorge...and another visit from our baboon friends! Then it was back to Addis...though I can't tell you much about the drive because I think we both slept the whole way home!

It was an amazing trip...highly recommend it! If any of you future travelers have a spare day and want our driver's info just let me know!

Ethiopia - Day 2

We both woke up really early, but refreshed after the first night. After the sun finally came up we went to eat breakfast. The hotel breakfast is okay, but nothing to get excited about. Amazing coffee, of course! The one thing I can't get used to is the juice. I think it's Papaya or mango...but it's super thick, almost jelly-like. I can't do it.

Anyway, after breakfast we headed over to the care center. It was Saturday so all the kids were there (the older kids...4 and up I think...go to school during the week. I knew it would be crazy, but I think I underestimated just HOW crazy. We thought we'd be able to play soccer or games with the kids, but every time we took a ball out of our backpack one kid would grab it and refuse to let go. Even bubbles...no one wanted to chase the bubbles, they all just wanted to be the one to get the bubble jar. So, we utterly failed with the older kids! In our defense though, we are the only family here from our agency right now and we had a baby in our arms too. They're all amazing kids though and when we got to spend time with some of them in smaller groups you could just see their personality come shining through... I think it would have been a lot easier if there was at least one other family to help appease the masses. Next Saturday we'll get to test out that theory. ;)

Did I mention the nanny knew we were coming and did M's hair all fancy? It was so cute, parted to the side and all flattened down. Anyway, after we had to say goodbye we had our favorite hotel driver, Benyam, take us to lunch at Top View. As the name implies it has a great view over the city, and some fabulous pasta dishes! (A remnant of Italy's attempt to take over Ethiopia is LOTS of great Italian restaurants.) Then it was back to the hotel to rest.

For dinner we went to another Italian place called Rico's. The pizza was okay, but we were both wishing we had ordered one of the entrees instead. Ethiopia celebrates New Years in September (haven't quite figured that one out yet), but a couple of the American hotels were having New Year's parties and fireworks. Our agency reel invited us to go to one, but honestly, the thought of trying to keep our eye lids open past 9:00 seemed an impossible task. So, we decided we'd just ring the New Year in mountain time...at 10AM the next day. ;). Had we known neither of us would sleep longer than 4 hours that night anyway we may have just gone to the party!